Face | Facelift Complications

Your face is undoubtedly one of your most valuable assets. As such, before undergoing a procedure designed to enhance this critical feature, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks and complications, so you can be sure your surgeon is taking the necessary steps to protect you. With that said, this page outlines the most common facelift complications that can develop, along with how Dr. Rahban prevents them.

"Most people had no idea I had a facelift, but commented on how rested I looked. However, looking at the photos Dr. Rahban takes at every visit, the transformation is astounding. I truly could not be happier." Deb. L.

Unsatisfactory results

After undergoing a facelift, patients want to emerge looking naturally radiant and youthful. Unfortunately, that’s not always the outcome. When the procedure is performed poorly, you may have an appearance that you don’t love. For example, you may have a pulled back or windswept feature, or the surgeon may have left some telltale signs of aging, such as sagging neck skin or heavy jowls.

To ensure that you’re thrilled with the way you look after surgery, Dr. Rahban will spend a great deal of time preparing for your facelift. He’ll talk to you about your ideal appearance, and gain a deep understanding of the face you’d like to see in the mirror each morning. More importantly, he will be honest with you and explain to you the limitations of your anatomy and the realistic expected outcomes. During surgery, he’ll apply his signature conservative approach, precisely removing excess skin and tightening lax muscles so you look naturally more youthful – never overdone.

Facelift scars

A facelift will always result in scarring, but they do not have to be unsightly. The scars should not be highly visible, thickened, wide or raised. Rather, they should be hidden within your hairline or the natural contours of your face, thin and flat.

To ensure ideal facelift scars, Dr. Rahban personally closes all of his incisions. Unfortunately, many surgeons today have their surgical techs close, but Dr. Rahban takes the closure of your incisions as seriously as the actual facelift. Dr. Rahban is well known for his meticulous and precise closures, and this is evident by his results.

One of the main causes of poor scars is overly aggressive skin removal, resulting in tension on the skin flaps. If a surgeon removes too much, he is forced to pull the skin and the scar then pulls on critical structures like the earlobe. A classic sign of a poor closure is the Pixy Ear Deformity. This is when the earlobe is pulled downward like an elf and creates a very unnatural appearance to the facial contour.

Facial nerve injury

The delicate facial nerve supplies movement to all of the muscles in your face. It is what allows you to express yourself, show emotion and chew food. Because of its location, this nerve is vulnerable during a facelift, and any damage to this critical structure can impact your ability to move your face naturally.

When Dr. Rahban performs a facelift, he is very focused on preserving the facial nerve. He is aware of its location at all times, and his precision ensures that it is safe from harm as he restores your youthful contours and elevates your aging facial features. Because of this careful approach, facial nerve damage is an exceedingly rare complication among Dr. Rahban’s patients. Be cautious of the surgeon who performs your facelift “during lunch,” as quick surgery means inaccurate surgery.

Hair loss at the incision site

Hair loss at the incision site is a rarely discussed facelift complication, but it can happen. When it occurs, it may cause your hairline to appear slightly abnormal or displaced after surgery. Fortunately, Dr. Rahban knows how to prevent this complication from developing. First, when he makes his incisions, he bevels the cut away from the hair follicles in order to preserve them. Furthermore he avoids electro-cautery near the hair follicles as this causes them to die. Once your facelift is complete, he will minimize trauma to the hair follicles by carefully closing the incisions. He’ll reduce tension around the suture lines and ensure that an adequate amount of blood is able to reach the hair follicles.

Skin irregularities

After a facelift, depressions and visible wrinkling may develop within your facial contours. When these effects occur, they need to be addressed with a revision facelift. However, Dr. Rahban prefers to focus on prevention, so his patients don’t require an additional procedure. By removing the precise amount of excess tissue and making sure the skin is repositioned in the correct direction, he can prevent many of these irregularities, like the classic swooped or windswept appearance. This allows him to achieve a smooth and natural-looking appearance. Knowing geometry and having an artistic eye is as crucial as the technical accuracy during a facelift.

Infection

When an infection develops after a facelift, it tends to cause swelling, sensitivity, redness and a warming sensation. It’s a serious complication that requires immediate medical attention to prevent it from worsening.

Fortunately, infections are a rare occurrence among Dr. Rahban’s patients because he takes a number of important steps to prevent them. He’ll administer powerful antibiotics before, during and after your facelift, as well as provide you with very specific aftercare guidelines designed to keep your incision area clean, healthy and infection-free. Additionally, he will have used a very powerful antibacterial scrub to prepare your face prior to surgery.

Bleeding

Some bleeding after your surgery is normal and to be expected. However, uncontrolled bleeding is a serious complication that can lead to a hematoma, which is bleeding underneath the skin that needs to be treated immediately and often requires an additional surgery. To prevent serious bleeding after your facelift, Dr. Rahban will have you cease the use of any medications, supplements and anti-inflammatories that can promote bleeding for a full two weeks prior to your surgery. Furthermore, he takes considerable time during your surgery to make sure all bleeding vessels have been cauterized prior to closing the incisions. Fast surgery means sloppy surgery, and as such, Dr. Rahban often takes twice as long as most surgeons when performing your facelift. Finally he uses small drainage tubes for the first 24-48hrs after surgery to remove any residual blood.

Necrosis or Skin Death

While rare, this complication is very dangerous and can lead to very poor results. It occurs when the skin flaps do not have enough blood supply. When performing a facelift, the skin is being lifted off the underlying muscles and incrementally disconnected from its blood supply. If your surgeon is too aggressive, your skin edges may die, turning black and requiring surgical removal. In addition to overly aggressive dissection, necrosis can occur due to poor health like diabetes or heart disease. Finally, smoking is a major risk and must be stopped well before and after surgery.

Come in for a Consultation with Dr. Rahban

When Dr. Rahban does a consultation with a prospective patient, he wants it to be two things above all others: thorough and honest. He will find out from
you just what you want from cosmetic surgery. And he will tell you honestly if you can get the result you want, and how he can best help you do so.